Arsenal vs. West Ham: Clinical Podolski restores confidence in 3-1 victory

The Gunners put their season back on track with a convincing 3-1 win over West Ham on Tuesday. By ending a poor run of form in which they took only two points from four Premier League matches, they leapfrogged Everton into fourth place and put pressure on the Toffees ahead of their match against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Wenger made five changes from the side that knocked Wigan out of the FA Cup on Saturday, replacing Fabianski, Monreal, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sanogo with Szczesny, Koscielny, Kallstrom, Rosicky, and Giroud. Those choices were pretty much shaped by injuries as well as Flamini’s suspension. Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain felt sore and needed some rest, while Gibbs and Monreal joined Wilshere, Ozil and Walcott on the disabled list.

In the first half, Arsenal lacked fluidity in its passing game because of the midfielders’ tired legs and a lack of movement up front. Vermaelen, Kallstrom and Cazorla tried to force plays with long balls that went nowhere. The opening minutes did not look good, especially with a lack of defensive focus similar to the loss at Everton. Diame too easily skipped past Kallstrom in the fifth minute to have a shot blocked by Mertesacker. When West Ham had a throw-in two minutes later, nobody marked Diame, who crossed for Nocerino at the far post, but Vermaelen managed to block the Italian midfielder’s volley.

Kallstrom’s first start

Vermaelen was terrible at Goodison Park, but he produced a decent performance on Tuesday. He got ahead of Carroll in the 18th to head out a cross from Jarvis, who had outpaced Sagna and Mertesacker. Then an unmarked Diame was able to connect with a cutback from Carroll in the 19th but blazed over the bar from eight yards. The Gunners somehow survived those small mistakes. But three defensive errors in the 40th led to the opening goal for West Ham. Nocerino outpaced Kallstrom to shoot from a tight angle. Szczesny made the save, but Koscielny failed to clear the rebound and Jarvis beat Arteta and Sagna to the ball to head home.

Kallstrom was making his first start and sometimes struggled to fit in the team’s philosophy. He made up for a few errant passes with a strong commitment. He’s a defensive midfielder like Flamini but can occasionally turn into a box-to-box player. He led a counterattack in the 11th to release Rosicky down the right flank, but Cazorla could not meet Rosicky’s cross. Kallstrom then played a one-two with Giroud in the 43rd to fire a powerful strike that Adrian parried.

The Podolski enigma

Podolski owed the fans a better performance after his poor display in the FA Cup. He quickly equalized in the 44th following a poor clearance from the West Ham defense. The ball fell to Cazorla, who fed Podolski. The German forward controlled the ball and spun to score with a low diagonal strike from 10 yards. This goal definitely gave the Gunners more confidence for the second half. Podolski also had a curling free kick punched away by Adrian in the 62nd before netting the team’s third goal in the 78th.

Podolski has been a real enigma this season. How can a player with more than 100 caps for Germany be so inconsistent? He may have been brilliant in four or five games but went missing in too many for such an experienced forward. Giroud has already scored three more goals in the Premier League than last season while Podolski is still five league goals below his total from last season.

Giroud coming to terms with his right foot

Giroud can be a very frustrating player to watch for any fan. He was wasteful in the first half, struggling to escape marking and too easily losing possession. Podolski made a good cross in the 14th but Giroud was unable to flick home from close range despite finding space between two defenders. He wasted another good chance when Cazorla intercepted Noble’s pass in the 30th. Giroud beat the offside trap to collect the Spaniard’s through ball but then attempted to beat Adrian with the outside of his left boot while a right-footed shot would have given Giroud a better angle and more power. Adrian had no trouble to save the tame effort from the Frenchman.

After the break, Giroud looked much more like the striker who was efficient in the first half of the season. Vermaelen capitalized on a clearance from the West Ham defense to send a long pass to Giroud. Surrounded by Reid and Carroll, the Frenchman still managed to perfectly trap the ball with his left foot before firing home with his right foot through the goalkeeper’s legs for a 2-1 lead. Giroud was much more spontaneous on that play than when he was denied by Adrian. Smart strikers know that it’s the situation that dictates the shot. When they let their preferences prevail, they usually make the wrong decision and the wrong move.

Giroud also contributed to the team’s passing game with his link-up play. Rosicky played a one-two with Giroud in the 32nd to be clean through on goal but the ball got stuck under his feet and Tomkins won the ball back. Rosicky then led a fast break in the 64th and picked Cazorla out. The Spaniard cut inside to unleash a drive that sailed wide of the far post. Rosicky’s performance on Tuesday was average, but I think it’s important to have him fit so that the manager does not put too much pressure on Ozil and Wilshere when they’ll return.

Ramsey’s contagious desire

Ramsey replaced Rosicky in the 72nd and did not look sharp after emptying his tank against Wigan. Giroud found him on the edge of the box in the 76th but the Welshman fired over the bar. In stoppage time, Ramsey took a pass from Jenkinson and could just hit a tame spinning shot from 18 yards. Ramsey has been sidelined by a hamstring injury for more than three months. So I guess it will take a bit of time before he rediscovers his level from the first half of the season.

But what makes Ramsey such a key player in this team is his desire, which is clearly contagious on the pitch and has a positive impact on the team’s chemistry. The last goal was a great display of one-touch passing. Cazorla found Giroud on the left wing, and the Frenchman made a high cross that seemed to sail behind Ramsey. But the Welshman twisted his body to head the ball toward Podolski, who slammed it into the roof of the net.

Lifting the club’s mood

If the Gunners keep playing like in the second half, with a strong defensive performance and a decent conversion rate, they could win all their remaining matches and finish the season in fourth place. But if they play like in the first half when they wasted a couple of good chances and lacked defensive focus, then Everton will snatch the last Champions League spot.

The return to training of Ozil, Wilshere and Diaby should definitely lift the mood at the club after some disappointing results in the past two months. A less compact schedule, with games every seven days after Sunday’s match at Hull, should also help some exhausted players recover better. Hopefully, Arsenal’s experience will make the difference at the end of the season.

Photo credit: http://www.arsenal.com

Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace: Oxlade-Chamberlain shows scoring instinct

   Oxlade-Chamberlain is not really known for his scoring prowess. Last season, he notched just one goal in 25 Premier League matches. But on Sunday, he found the net twice to fire Arsenal to a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace and back to the top spot after Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 on Monday.

   Wenger had limited options in midfield with Wilshere and Ramsey recovering from injuries and Flamini serving a three-match suspension. The most natural choice was to start Cazorla behind the striker and Chambo on the right wing. But the manager did the opposite. I guess Chambo gives more penetration to the team in midfield than Cazorla. Wenger probably remembered his performance in that position when the Gunners thrashed AC Milan 3-0 two years ago.

   In the end, the manager made two changes from the side that drew 2-2 with Southampton as Podolski replaced Gnabry on the wings. Gnabry is just 18 and it’s difficult at that age to perform consistently. While the German teenager was outstanding against Tottenham in the FA Cup, he went missing against the Saints a week ago.

A balanced midfield

   Our midfield looked very much like Barcelona’s with Arteta protecting the back four like Busquets, Ozil controlling the tempo and finding space like Xavi and Chambo accelerating the game and running at defenders like Iniesta. On paper, this is our most balanced midfield with a ballwinner (Arteta or Flamini), a traditional playmaker (Ozil or Rosicky) and an all-rounder (Wilshere, Ramsey or Chambo).

   Crystal Palace’s approach was pretty simple: park the bus and wait for counterattacking opportunities. Arsenal dominated possession but struggled to find space against some disciplined Eagles despite some quick passes in the final third. Podolski and Cazorla often cut inside instead of stretching the defense.

   Our fullbacks provided a bit more width by charging forward. Ozil sent a ball over the top for Monreal in the seventh minute but Speroni denied the Spanish leftback. Then Arteta played Sagna in with a slightly overhit pass in the 36th. Speroni came off his line to collect the ball but collided with Sagna. For a minute, it looked like a serious injury requiring a substitution. But the Frenchman got back on his feet and showed no sign of pain in the second half.

Ozil and Cazorla pulling the strings

   Ozil created our best chances in the first half. Koscielny’s reverse header from an Ozil free kick in the 34th forced Speroni to make a diving save. Mertesacker met another free kick from the German playmaker in the 43rd but sent his header straight into Speroni’s arms. Ozil faded in the second half as Cazorla took over the playmaking duties.

   Cazorla found Arteta inside the area in the 54th. Arteta could have taken his chance but preferred to slip the ball to Podolski to his left. Podolski took a touch before firing into the side-netting. The German’s lack of spontaneity cost him a scoring chance as a first-time effort was the better option. Podolski’s performance on Sunday was average at best. He was replaced by Rosicky in the 72nd. Podolski really needs to show more on the pitch to deserve a start.

   Cazorla destabilized the Crystal Palace defense with his movement, passing game and quick turns. Delaney received a yellow card in the 68th for making a late tackle on the sharp Spaniard. An example of the great chemistry within the squad was how Cazorla tracked back in the 62nd to make a clean tackle on Bolasie inside the Arsenal area.

Chambo’s deep runs

   The former Malaga player set up the the opening goal by cutting inside Jedinak to feed Chambo with a clipped pass in the 48th. Chambo controlled the offering with his right foot before lifting the ball over Speroni with his left foot. The England midfielder showed quick feet on that play, first by making a run to escape marking and then by making two perfect touches in a tiny space to beat Speroni.

   To a certain extent, Chambo is similar to Wilshere and Ramsey in the sense that he can make deep runs that are difficult to track. Chamakh was marking Chambo in midfield, but when Chambo reached the edge of the box, the Eagles had no clue about zonal marking and no defender was smart enough to deal with the immediate threat. 

   Modern football is very much about the quick transition from defense to offense and the other way around. Jedinak made a professional foul on Chambo in the 20th to kill a play and give the Eagles enough time to regroup. Wenger and Bould have instilled defensive awareness in the younger players. It was therefore no surprise to see Chambo frequently drop back to help out the back four.

Lessons from the past

   Yet, fans should keep their expectations at a low level. Chambo is just 20 and consistency is still an issue at that age. Let’s remember what happened with Wilshere when he was put on a pedestal and knocked off it a year later. Chambo is definitely a talented player but he needs to work on his passing game. Some of his long balls went nowhere on Sunday. Chambo also needs to keep a low turnover rate. He recklessly lost possession in the 65th but at least he made the effort to win the ball back.

   The opening goal obviously boosted Chambo’s confidence. When he took a pass from Arteta in the 60th, he attempted a strike from 30 yards that sailed wide. Chambo initiated the second goal in the 73rd by diverting a pass from Rosicky into the path of Giroud with a backheel flick. The Frenchman played the ball back to Chambo, who outpaced Ward to fire a low strike into the bottom corner for a 2-0 lead.

   The Gunners kept a clean sheet but the left side of the back four was shaky. In the first half, Koscielny was outpaced by Chamakh, whose heavy touch allowed Szczesny to gather the ball in the 13th. Monreal improved a bit after his disastrous performance in the 2-2 draw with Southampton. He still lost a duel inside his own area in the 38th but the Eagles were only able to get a corner.

Koscielny’s poor performance

   Arsenal nearly conceded an equalizer after the opening goal because of a lapse of concentration. In the 51st, Bolasie redirected a cross from Puncheon toward the far post where Jerome ghosted past Monreal for a header that Szczesny parried with his legs. On that play, Sagna could only divert Puncheon’s cross. Mertesacker decided to give Sagna some help, which means that Koscielny had to mark Bolasie instead of running toward Szczesny. At the far post, Monreal attempted to play the offside trap and gave Jerome a free header. Sagna was late on that play while Mertesacker, Koscielny and Monreal made poor decisions.

   Koscielny’s poor decision-making was again exposed twice. He played Puncheon onside in the 68th. The Crystal Palace midfielder cut the ball back for Bannan, who fired over the bar. A side pass from Mertesacker in the 83rd led to a misunderstanding between Szczesny and Koscielny. The Frenchman thought Szczesny would come off the line to play the ball while he should have protected his goalkeeper from a risky situation by attacking the ball. In the end, Szczesny beat an Eagle to the ball for a difficult clearance.

   The Gunners have the second tightest defense in the league behind Chelsea. But you can’t take anything for granted this season. Monreal was the weak link against Southampton, Koscielny played below par on Sunday. There won’t be room for error against Liverpool and Manchester United.

Sharing goals around

   The obvious positive from Sunday’s game is the great team spirit at the club. Arsenal relied on the impressive form of Ramsey and Giroud in the first couple of months to rise to the top. When Ramsey picked up a thigh injury and Giroud’s form dipped, Walcott, Wilshere and Cazorla took over the scoring duties. On Sunday, it was Chambo’s turn to step up. As long as the Gunners show solidarity on the pitch, they will still have a shot at the title.

   But on paper, Manchester City and Chelsea are the overwhelming favorites. They have bigger squads to cope with injuries. On Sunday, we had Zelalem and Gnabry on the bench. In some matches this season, we also had Park, Sanogo, Akpom, Miyaichi and Hayden as substitutes. You would never see such inexperienced or weak players on the bench of the Blues or the Citizens.

   Wenger got Kallstrom on loan from Spartak Moscow, but that deal won’t really help Arsenal in the title race. We need him now because Flamini is still suspended for two games and Ramsey won’t come back before March. Unfortunately, Kallstrom is sidelined by a back injury for several weeks. In the most optimistic scenario, that deal could matter if the club is still competing in the FA Cup and the Champions League in the last three months of the season.

   Some strikers were mentioned during the winter transfer window, but in the end the manager did not sign anybody. I guess Wenger couldn’t find a quality forward who was available and who could improve the team’s chances. That leaves our offense very one-dimensional with Giroud and Bendtner who have the same profile.

 

Photo credit: http://www.arsenal.com